Portrait lighting kit for beginner

[peter_howard2]

<p>I'm thinking of buying some equipment to help with portraiture photography. Could anybody advise me as to what they think would be the basic essential items regarding lighting, e.g. type / power of strobes, soft boxes, ancillary lighting, umbrellas etc., and / or any other equipment you think would be beneficial. Obviously, cost is always an issue but if I know what is advisable I can always try for second hand / Ebay. Any help would be gratefully received. My thanks in advance for your time. Pete.</p>

[bill_clark___minnetonka_mi]

<p>What I would recommend is purchasing a couple of books on portrait lighting. Better yet, let me supply you with this free exercise:<br>

http://forum.montezucker.com/index.php?act=ST&f=11&t=8344<br>

What you need to do is get your brain in gear to recognize light and how to control it to suit what you want to accomplish. You can do a lot of beautiful portraits with a window and a reflector. Some of the photos on my website were created that way. <br /> Learn the various lighting patterns & poses and how to get them to make beautiful people portraits. Once you master those you may find your investment in equipment is far less and much more simple than the ideas you have currently.<br>

Simple is best. Then you can focus on establishing a rapport with your subjects and make photos that are posed but don't look posed.<br>

Hope this Helps You!</p>

[bill_clark___minnetonka_mi]

<p>Here is another to study:</p>

<p>http://forum.montezucker.com/index.php?act=ST&f=8&t=9262&s=51014ef96657f98e393c2be609e2abac</p>

[bill_clark___minnetonka_mi]

<p>Notice the lighting.</p>

<p>Reflectors.</p>

<p>Windows.</p>

<p>It's a constant learning process!</p>

[William Michael]

<p >I suggest you buy and practice using one, good quality and powerful strobe light only, with a MODELING LIGHT, a good quality stand and an umbrella: mastering exposure and ``seeing`` the shadows, within the range of basic poses. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Then, and only after that is mastered, add only one fill light and then work on adding more lights, and accessories. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >A basic lighting course, in a group, would be most beneficial. Learning Lighting - interactively - is very useful.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Please read through my answers here, specifically, [Oct 08, 2008; 05:20 a.m.], I go into more detail and reasons why I think and advise this method. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I have often seen Photographers “learning” about lighting with a lot of lights . . . and with a lot of pain. </p>

<p > </p>

<p ><a href="../portraits-and-fashion-photography-forum/00R3zz">http://www.photo.net/portraits-and-fashion-photography-forum/00R3zz</a> </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Also, in that thread, there are some diagrams of some traditional lighting sets which will be of interest to you, I think. </p>

WW

[peter_howard2]

<p>Bill & William,<br>

Thank you for your replies. Both of which I have taken note. Bill, I have already downloaded Monte Zuckers thread, together with several another courses including a fantastic 13 chapter course from Joe Zeltsman. I have studied these and it is as a result I posed this original question, as I now wish to try out, experiment, and so gain experience. Your input is therefore very much appreciated and I shall heed your comments. William, your practical advice is of special help to me. Could you just clarify, is the strobe light the same as the other light you mention? I understand the "fill" light would be something separate.<br>

I am a senior who has wanted to take up photography for many years, but due to pressures of life has had to postpone this fascinating art. Whilst I am now able to start this, I must confess I seems so very much more complex than I envisaged and "the old grey matter" takes a lot more time to absorb facts. I, along with many other "newbies" am endebted to you guys taking the time and patience to share your knowledge.<br>

My thanks once again, and if anyone else cares to add to them, they too will be studied with great interest.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>The <a rel="nofollow" href="http://ny.webphotoschool.com/" target="_blank"><strong>NY Web Photo School</strong> </a> tutorials on lighting are very good and easy to follow.</p>

[William Michael]

<p><em><strong>"William . . . Could you just clarify, is the strobe light the same as the other light you mention? I understand the "fill" light would be something separate."</strong></em><br>

<br>

I live across the big pond. It seems that (technical) terminology is sometimes slightly different.<br>

<br>

That said, I think this will explain things, using a lot of different terms which are generally interchangeable. I have typed in CAPITALS, Technical Terms which you might need to research further, or words to stress a point - I think the difference of usage is obvious.<br>

<br>

We can classify Lighting several ways. One way is to think of three FAMILIES of Lighting for STILL Photography. These families would describe the "type" of shooting. Here are some names that might be used and interchanged to mean something similar in the description of the type of shooting, when taking images INDOORS:<br>

<br>

1. Sunlight / Natural Light / Window Light / Ambient Light - i.e. what is "in the room", that might be the mixture of a desk lamp and the sunlight through the window.<br>

<br>

2. Flash / Strobe / Studio Flash Heads / Heads / Studio Strobes<br>

<br>

3. Hot Lights / Cine Lights / Lighting Banks / Tungsten / Photofloods / Mains Lights<br>

<br>

Group 1. is just taking the light which is in the room and (perhaps with a reflector) using it.<br>

<br>

Group 2. is basically using a very short flash of high intensity light to make the exposure - that point is critical as it is the intensity of the Flash and the short duration of it which can freeze subject motion for example, and which limits the shutter (in many cameras) to a MAXIMUM SYNC SPEED.<br>

<br>

Group 3. uses (mostly mains power) and (usually) a filament in a globe to throw light to give the exposure - one important mention here is the COLOUR TEMPERATURE of the light(s) being used.<br>

<br>

Another difference, between Group 2., and Groups 1. and 3. is that groups 1 and 3 allow the Photographer to "see" the lightscape BEFORE the exposure. BUT when we use FLASH or STROBE we do not see the lightscape unless we use MODELING LIGHTS.<br>

<br>

A Modeling Light is a small wattage globe, set in the Studio Flash Head (or Strobe Head). It stays illuminated so the Photographer can get an idea of what the exposed image will be as a lightscape - where the shadows will be cast, etc - when the strobe is activated and the image taken. <br>

<br>

In the thread I linked to, I mentioned a class, and included some images from it, where students were learning lighting – they were being taught with HOT LIGHTS – specifically STUDIO TUNGSTEN FLOODS. These lights are mains powered and are like the lights used for Stage Plays and Theatre. <br>

<br>

An important point to note is Photographic Studios are DARK for a reason – so there is NO AMBIENT light adding to the exposure of either the Hot Lights or the Strobes. <br>

<br>

<br>

***<br>

</p>

<p >When we are taking about a LIGHTING SET for still Photography, the lights themselves can be classified by the job they each are performing.</p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

<p >The KEY or MAIN light is exactly that – it is the dominant light, the most intense, the one doing the major exposing of the scene.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >The FILL or SECOND light is the one which “fills in the shadows” and helps out he main light.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >There are other technical classifications, for Lighting Sets with more than two lights: Hair Light; Back Light; Rim Light; 2^nd Fill . . . but just let me comment on KEY and FILL, for the moment.</p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Note that these classifications describe the JOB or the RESULT of the light – NOT what TYPE of lighting it is. . . .</p>

<p > </p>

<p >What I mean by that is - I can describe a lighting set / scene this way:</p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Outdoor Full Frame - Full Length Bridal Portrait – Subject in Open Shade </p>

<p > </p>

<p >KEY LIGHT: Reflected Sunlight / Gold Reflector bounced in at 45 degrees Camera Left @ 8ft height.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >FILL LIGHT: Off Camera Flash, Camera Right 15 degrees – Eye Level </p>

<p > </p>

<p >LIGHTING RATIO: 3:1 </p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

<p >So here we have what is called “Flash Fill” – the Key Light is the REFLECTED sunlight and the Flash is just filling in – and the LIGHTING RATIO indicates the relationship between the two.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Now technically (pedantically) in the Lighting Set I described above, there is a third light – it is the Ambient Light from the sun, which is illuminating the whole area of “Open Shade”.</p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

<p >***</p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

<p >So, moving inside, what I was suggesting you do, to learn about studio lighting, is buy one Strobe (Studio Flash) but have a modelling light in it. Make your room dark. And use just the one modelling light to see the lightscape, and then expose the image with the strobe . . . and continue from there.</p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Hope that helps.</p>

<p > </p>

<p > <br>

WW </p>

[peter_howard2]

<p>William, You're a star!! Thank you for taking the time to go into so much detail - thats just what I needed. I have printed all this off for future reference and I'm sure any other "newbie" reading this thread will also appreciate this infomation.<br>

Kind regards, Pete.</p>

[peter_howard2]

<p>Oops, also forgot to thank you Lex - I have now spent time studying that line of thread. Thanks once again. Pete.</p>

[debby_c]

<p>Hi Ya'll, I am new to the site. William - you are the type I would have liked to site behind in school. If your not a teacher - you should have been. Im totally ADD - and the way you described that went right in and stuck... err well I think it will stick :o) Thanks for sharing!</p>